In Twos
by goddessa39
Summary: A small look at the life of young Simba and Nala with one slight change.


**In Twos**

This is a Lion King AU, Simba/Nala. I don't own the LK. … One-shot! …What if Nala had been there with Simba and had run with him as Mufasa fell to death?

* * *

There is a rumbling in his stomach and he realizes that he is hungry. He looks up from his crouch and up and up is his mother. She looks down and smiles. He is happy, and then his stomach rumbles again. The gentle vibration from his mother is laughter and if lions blushed, he would have. "Come Simba," she says. He follows while she gets him food. 

He loves his mom. He loves his dad. But he is scared of his Uncle Scar, looking at him from the shade of a large rock. Moving behind his mother again, he walks faster to catch up. Food, he smells. He digs in.

* * *

He looks up at the sky. His father says that the kings of old are up there, staring down at them, watching and helping as they can. He will sometimes lay in the grass, silent and content next to his best friend. Zazu is often with them, watching them. He likes the bird but he is a cub and will act against the authority. 

When he tells Nala what his father says, she wonders aloud if it is more than just kings because there are a lot of stars up there. They talk so Zazu cannot hear them and he wishes that she would never leave his side. But he is growing up and the pit of his stomach rumbles, not in hunger but in danger. They are alone in this grass pit though and he does his best to ignore it. If he is to be king then he needs to stay alert, but he is just a cup. Zazu will watch out for them.

He closes his eyes and sleeps. When it is time to go back, Zazu will wake them. Soft snores come from beside him as he falls of to sleep.

* * *

It is shock he supposes and from beside him Nala gasps. They cuddle together trying to be smaller and smaller but the antelope are coming and there are so many. There is little hope they will survive. And then they watch as Mufasa, King of Lion Rock, King of the Lions is falling… falling… falling. 

It is shock he supposes.

But still he breathes.

Simba wants to run to him, to see if he is okay, to wake him up. He is king- he can survive. "Mufasa" "Dad" the cubs scream, running toward him and the antelope. They budge him. He doesn't move.

It is shock, they suppose. At the top of the rocks, Scar laughs, an insane hollow laugh of defeat, and all the cubs can think is how he has betrayed them all. They are only cubs, too young to know differently. So with the intelligence of all animals, they run away from their deaths at the stampede of the antelopes.

What else can they do? It is shock, Simba supposes. They go away from the Wildebeasts.

* * *

Something splashes him. Zazu likes to splash him sometimes. If his mother isn't around. It annoys Simba. There is another drop and he reaches up to push the bird away. He tries but the bird is too fast to fall for it. 

He's so weak though. It was hard to lift his arm and he doesn't bother again.

Why is the ground so hard? The rock is usually pillowed with dust and the grass has the soil to soften it. Here, it is cracked and dry. The sun must be up, is he waking up later?

He opens his eyes. "Nala?" he speaks. There is silence and he doesn't let it bug him. Why is she so still? He slowly gets up but falls back down. "Nala?" he is turned to her now. She doesn't open her eyes so he tries again. "Nala?"

He suddenly loses his strength and wonders where the water went. But he is so tired. He tries to tell Zazu that something is wrong but has no strength left. He thinks of Nala and running in play but he is so tired and soon falls back to the oblivion.

* * *

"Aww…. Can we keep 'em?" 

"Wha-no! Absolutely not!" The meerkat says. "L-look." He tries to life the forearm. "Nails." He goes to the snout of the cat that had spoken. "Teeth. Sharp teeth. Pumba, do you know what teeth are for?"

"Chewing."

"Well, yeah. But then what are sharp teeth for?"

"Chewing harder?"

"Meat, Pumba. Meat. These are carnivores. They eat meat."

"Aww, I'm sure that's not true Timon. Look at 'em. They're such cute little tykes, I'm sure."

"Pumba, they're cats! Cats! They'll eat us."

"Well, we can teach them not to."

"No Pumba. Maybe we could have them not eat meat at first. But later? Later, they'll grow up and be huge. Then, they'll eat MEAT! They'll eat us."

But Pumba will get his way. He isn't smart or good looking. He's a warthog. But he knows that he wants to help these two small creatures. He will have to manipulate Timon. It isn't often he can. But he will now, he needs too.

Timon denies the chance until he brings up protection. With the cats around, they will be left alone. No one will try to bother them with the cats around.

Lifting the cats up by the tusks, he lets Timon hold on and catch his own way up. Back to their own burrows where there is plenty to eat. The jungle carries them on and green is everywhere. Every trunk and tree has a plethora of food and upon one odd warthog are a meerkat and two lion cubs.

* * *

They don't know their way back. That is why they stay with Pumba and Timon in the beginning. They don't know how they can get back to Pride Rock. If they knew they would be gone. 

Scar would be in charge now.

_Traitor_.

Simba's heart hurt. Nala tried to comfort him.

Time passes.

* * *

Carefree, the two lion cubs begin to grow bigger and suddenly they are the size of Pumba. Timon cries like he is their uncle and though they live on bugs, life is good. There is plenty of water and play. 

But still, something isn't right.

They need meat, but Timon won't have it. So Simba will catch his own food. He goes for fish. Fish don't talk. Fish don't think. This will do and Timon doesn't mind. Pumba faints at the sign of blood. Fish and bugs. Lions shouldn't live on anything but meat in their pride land but this will do. Their pride land is too far away and they wouldn't know which way to go even if they could make it.

Nala is his best friend. The lake is full and it is much fun to jump off of the water fall and swim in the ponds. Other animals don't usually bother them. Timon and Pumba are like their Uncles and neither wants to leave them but the call of their pride land comes to them and they want to leave, need to leave. But they can't.

* * *

Time passes more and now Simba is a real lion. His red mane is grand and beside him, Nala is striking. Timon breaks into tears whenever he sees them that way and cannot explain why. Pumba smiles.

* * *

End. 


End file.
